Insecticide and/or fungicide



.P atented Jan. 1935 1 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I V msEc'rIcmE mtlarumaromn No Drawing; Application May 26, 193i,

Serial No. 540,204

9 Claims. (01. 167-42) My present invention relates to an improvedsprays containing the same "agencies. In fact carrier for -poisons,repellents, insecticides, fungiwhen dehydrated molasses is used as-thecarrier cides and oils in powdered form, and more paras contemplated bymy invention the mixture ticularly to a carrier in dry powdered formhavwill be so hygroscopic that it will actually extract inghighly-hygroscopic characteristics in which suillcient moisture from theatmosphere to ren- 5 desiccatedmolasses' is used as a principal ingrederthe dust particles sticky before they contact dient. f with the foliageor other surface to be treated.

One objectof my invention is to provide a As a result of thischaracteristic my dusting powcarrier for powdered poisons, repellents,insectider will settle more rapidly as moisture is 001- 10 cides,fungicides and oils which will improvethe lected and when it finallyengages a surface it 10 distribution of such agencies in dust form. willstick and not be blown away as is so often A further object of myinvention is to provide the case where other types of dusting powders adry carrier for the above materials which is are used. This isparticularly true where ,the air soluble and hydroscopic, andwhich willdissolve is slightly humid or where the dust is required and spreadeasily upon coming into contact with to travel any substantial distancethrough the 15' "a moist'surface,- as when the surface to be treatairbefore contacting with the surfaces upon ed'is covered with dew, rain orwater artificially which it is to be applied. i applied, While I' havesuggested the use of sulphur as Another object of my invention istoprovide a an insecticidal and fungicidal agency, I desire carrier in drypowdered form which will imto have it understood that I mayuse any ofthe prove the application of poisons, repellents, inpowders now ingeneral use as poisons, repellents secticides, fungicides and oils inpowdered form or fungicides, such as Bordeaux, tobacco, lime, and likeagencies when used as a dust upon foliage arsenic compounds, Parisgreen, etc. and other surfaces, whether said surfaces are In theapplication of the above referred to warm or moist. active ingredientswith a liquid spray, it is well 5 A further object-of my invention is toprovide known that water usually constitutes about 90% a carrier, whichin addition to possessing the of the spray, and since myimproved'carrier in above referred to characteristics will also act asdry form will readily absorb water, as suggested a decoy or lure toenemies having a'sense of taste above, it will be seen that the carrierof my i and/or smell. invention when applied to a moist surface will Inthe art to which my invention pertains, complete the distribution of theinsecticide or many types of dusting, powders have been de- .otheragency, and effect a considerable saving in veloped for the protectionof crops, foliage and expense and labor, and at the same time give asthe like. Many of these powders contain sul- 'good a distribution andcoverage as when the 1) phur which in the raw state is not usuallywetactive ingredients are applied with water.

table with water. A suitable molasses for the purpose of my in-Therefore, a further object of my invention is vention and one which canbe cheaply had is the to provide a carrier agency which will facilitatemolasses by-product, or residue from the manua wetting of the sulphur,whether used in a liquid facture of beet or cane sugar, commonly calledJ or in a dust mixture. blackstrap molasses. 40 My inventioncontemplates the use of a hygro In addition to the above referred tomolasses acopic material. The material which I have product I may alsouse residue of molasses in found to possess the most desirablecharacterwhich yeast has been developed. istics is preferably dehydratedmolasses in the These products when dehydrated form a highly form of adry powder. This material can be hygroscopic powder that will readilystick to any mixed with many compounds without fear of surface,particularly to a moist one, and as a unfavorable reactions and since itis highly hyresult if they are combined with other functional groscopic,it will when mixed with other ingre- A agencies also in powdered'formthe desiccated I clients and exposed to the air, readily-absorbproducts, such as molasses or other like submoisture. This latterfeature does not interfere stances, will function to retain the mixtureupon 5 with its application in dust form and does render any suchsurface with which they may contact. its later distribution more uniformover any sur- In a modified form of my invention I may also face withwhich it contacts, particularly where add dehydrated milk to my improvedcarrier, the the surface is slightly moistened, and therefore dehydratedmilk in this latter instance acting as produces results comparable to'that of liquid a spreading agent for the other ingredients.

One customary method of treating foliage, as in orchards and likeplaces, is to mix the insecticidal or fungicidal agency with water andthen apply it in the form of a liquid spray. This method prevents theinsecticidal agency being blown away as is the case when a dusting withordinary dry powder is attempted.

By the use of dehydrated molasses as contemplated by my invention, it ispossible to dust dew wetted surfaces or sun heated surfaces in anefflcient manner without the use and expense of transporting the liquidnecessary to form a spray.

Another method of using my improved carrier with an insecticide for theeradication of creeping or crawling insects in orchards, is to preparethe trees by first wetting an area around the trunk of the tree and thenspraying my improved carrier with or without an insecticide upon thismoist surface until the surface assumes the consistency of a thicksticky mass, extending around the tree trunk. This will provide abarrier to the insects and will trap andinsnare them should they attemptto,cross this area.

While I have suggested the application of my improved carrier, with orwithout an insecticide, to the trunk of a tree or vine-as "the case maybe it will be readily appreciated that the application of my carrier tothe whole tree will be equally as effective and will ensure any insectsalready in the bark of the. tree.

At the present time, there is considerable experimental work being donein-spraying crops and foliage from aeroplanes as a means fordistributing the pest control materials. These experiments have shownthat the best and most convenient applications can be made when thematerials are in powdered form.

My present form of carrier will be found readily applicable to this formof distribution, and in view of its moisture absorbing characteristics,it will readily settle and adhere to any surfaces with which itcontacts.

On wet surfaces the dehydrated molasses will take up moisture and on hotsurfaces it will melt and as a result will act as a solvent for thevarious powders under both conditions.

A further advantage obtained by my invention is that the same amount ofactive ingredients can be applied in dry form with about one-tenth ofthe total weight of ingredients that would be required, if applied inthe form of a liquid spray.

The following isv a typical example:

Wet Bordeaux mixture Molasses mixture Lbs. Lbs. Bluestcne 16limestone.-- l6 9 cklime 20 20 ater 20o gals.). 1,000 128 1, can 104 Acomparison of the above will show that the wet Bordeaux mixturecontaining the same amounts of bluestone and quicklime weighs tenproximately ten times as much area as an equal amount of insecticide orfungicide when applie with water in the form of a spray.

I have discovered that my dehydrated product has a very decided wettingeffect upon sulphur and as a result it is possible to also apply myimproved carrier with its insecticide and/or fungicide in the form of aliquid spray if desired, particularly when sulphur is used as the activeingredients.

When used with sulphur the desiccated product acts as an agent whichinsures a complete wetting of the sulphur.

When sulphur is to be wetted I contemplate mixing a small proportion ofthe desiccated product with the sulphur in powdered form.

This will provide a mixture containing sulphur that can be readilywetted by the addition of cold water and will eliminate the necessity ofpaying freight on the water content of the present sulphur pastes nowprepared for this purpose.

It is well known that the value of sulphur as an insecticide and/orfungicide depends largely upon its oxidation and consequently when it ismixed with the extremely hygroscopic desiccated molasses, its oxidationis accelerated because of the accumulation of moisture by the molassesand as a result the effectiveness of the sulphur is greatly increased. Afurther advantage possessed by my carrier in combination with sulphur isthat due certain constituents of the molasses other desirable chemicalactions are facilitated.

In preparing my improved products, I may use varying proportions of thedesiccated hygroscopic product with the other ingredients. In practice Ihave used as low as 10% and. as much as of the desiccated product withgood results.

This product when mixed with other powders renders the mixture alsohygroscopic and consequently when dusted upon surfaces wet artificially,or naturally with dew or rain, the several ingredients will adhere tothe surfaces, the desiccated molasses forming an adhesive, and the milkproducts when used forming a spreading agency which will insure a veryuniform distribution.

' I have also discovered that my dehydrated product when mixed with oilgreatly facilitates the making of emulsions with water.

By mixing oil with the dehydrated product and making a paste an emulsioncan be readily formed by agitating the paste in water. This reduces thelabor and expense of present methods of forming oil emulsions.

This characteristic feature of my improved carrier is considered to bean important one, as it makes possible the formation of an emulsion witha completely soluble material. In the past, so

far as I am aware, all emulsions have been produoed by the use of aninsoluble colloid. My desiccated product is entirely free of colloidalsubstances and is completely soluble.

The distribution of oils in powdered form via aeroplane for theeradication of mosquitoes in swamp areas, is also made possible bypreparing the proper emulsion with molasses and dehydrating the mixtureto the form of a dry powder. In the distribution of such a powder byaeroplane, when the powder contacts with the water, the molasses willdissolve out and leave the oil to spread over the surface. In quietwaters, the film of oil can be replaced suiilciently often to eliminatethe enemy. Mosquitoesinflight during these applications, will contactwith the adhesive dust particles and be destroyed by suffocation.

The above results distinguish over the present methods in that, the oilis not submerged and carried below the surface of the water as is thecase where'colloids such as clay and the like is used as the emulsifyingagency.

The application of an emulsion of the above type to wet foliage willalso produce equally favorable results as the desiccated product willdissolve and leave the oil to perform its function.

'The killing of vegetation is now accomplished by chemical applicationsin liquid form. Weed eradication is also accomplished chemicallyincultivated crops, without injuring the crop itself by the application ofan agency that is not injurious to the grain, but which will destroy theweed. For instance, wild mustard which causes serious losses in grainfields, can be eradicated by an application of iron sulfate. The ironsulfate is fatal to the mustard plant but it will not injure the growinggrain in any way.

The transportation of enough liquid iron sulfate to spray the wildmustard in a large grain area besides being expensive, injuresconsiderable grain, especially if the ground is soft. Its preparation asa dust, however, makes the above application by aeroplane possible. 'Insome areas grain cannot be grown, due to the impossibility of conetrolling rust, but by dusting with the proper fungicide and my improvedcarrier as described here, the rust can be controlled and the growing ofgrain will be possible.

Vegetation can also be killed by a dust application instead of a liquidspray distribution when the proper killing agency is used with myimproved product as a carrier.

In preparing a mixture for the purposes above set forth with my improvedcarrier I may dehydrate the molasses or other similar carrier agencyseparately or I may mix all the ingredients of the final mixture insolution and then reduce the mixture to powdered form by dehydration inasingle operation.

This procedure can also be followed in preparing an emulsifying mixtureas the oil and molasses can be mixed in solution and then dehydrated toproduce a dry powder containing the desiccated molasses and oil.

. While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose myinvention so that the same can be readily understood, referred tospecific materials and proportions, I desire to have it understood thatthis invention is not limited to the specific outline herein given butmay be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves,'.i n view ofthis broad disclosure, to persons skilled in the art. It is believedthat this invention is broadly new and it is desired to claim it assuch 1. A dusting powder for insecticidal and/or fungicidal purposescomprising a mixture of desiccated milk and molasses in powdered formand an active agent, said mixture being highly hygroscopic and in theform of a dry powder which will become sticky when exposed to theatmosphere.

2. A dusting powder for insecticidal and/or fungicidal purposesconsisting of a desiccated mixture of molasses and an active agent, themixture being highly hygroscopic and having the character of a drypowder which becomes sticky when exposed to moisture.

3. An insecticide and/or fungicide dusting powder consisting of anintimate mixture of desiccated molasses, desiccated milk and sulphur,the mixture being highly hygroscopic and having the character of a drypowder which will become liquid and flow in the presence of moisture.

4. A dusting product for insecticidal. and/ or fungicidal purposesconsisting of an intimate mixture of finely divided sulphur and adesiccated solution of milk and molasses-the mixture being in the formof a highly hygroscopic powder and characterized by the fact 'that itwill dissolve and spread freely over, a wet-.surfa'ce.'

5; -An insecticide land/or fungicide product, containing as ingredientsan intimate mixture of desiccated molasses and an active agent, saidproduct being in the form of a powder and characterized by the'fact thatit will become adhesive upon exposure-to moisture.

6. A dusting mixture for commercial purposes,

having as ingredients an intimate mixture of an active insecticidaland/or fungicidal agent and desiccated molasses, the final mixture beingin the form of a dry powder which becomes adhesive upon exposure tomoisture.

' 7. A powdered hygroscopic carrier and'filler for dusting insecticidesand/or fungicides comprising as constituent elements desiccated milk anddesiccated molasses.

'8. .An insecticidal and/or fungicidal"dusting mixture having asingredients an active oil and desiccated molasses, said mixture being inthe form of a dry powder which becomes adhesive upon exposure tomoisture.

9. An insecticidal and/or fungicidal product having as activeingredients a desiccated mixture of oil and molasses, said product;being in the form of a dry powder which becomes adhesive upon exposureto moisture.

' WIILIAM A. FORBES.

